Vodafone Egypt is preparing to bid for a solar power plant within weeks. Informed sources told Daily News Egypt that the general requirements for the station's implementation, controls, and specifications are still in preparation. The company has not decided the scheme for the station's implementation, whether it will be owned by Vodafone or if the company will sell the energy to Vodafone, although the latter is more likely. The sources added that Vodafone is awaiting the next meeting of the board of directors of the Egyptian Electric Utility and Consumer Protection Regulatory Agency in order to decide on the launch of a solar power plant or the purchase of electricity directly from the private sector. Vodafone was planning to implement small capacity plants at the top of its premises, but with high electricity prices and free subsidies, the company has been thinking about setting up a solar plant with large capacities ranging from 20MW to 50MW. A large number of companies expressed their interest in the tender which Vodafone plans to enter. Among these companies are Infinity Solar, El Sewedy, KarmSolar, Orascom, Tebia, and Abdel Latif Jameel. According to the Electricity Law, each consumer has the freedom to choose an electricity supplier, where the market relies on free competition. The qualified subscribers can contract with electricity distribution companies or distributors via bilateral contracts. A large number of companies are seeking to implement renewable energy projects under the IPP system, which involves the investor selling the electricity produced directly to its customers, using an independent product system through the use of the national electricity grid for the fees of using the network.
